Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare

I had the worst dining experience of my life here. My mom and aunt, both visiting all the way from Greece and my husband (on the very night of this 35^th birthday) were all refused entry at the restaurant, very rudely, because one of us was wearing fancy, dressy shorts. We ended up having to go back and change, and then going in very late but we were humiliated in front of other guests and it ruined our night completely. Note that even though they were kicking us out they were also refusing to refund our money, which is why we ended up returning (impulse decision, which was wrong as the experience sucked). Also note that we all took the outmost care to dress nicely for a birthday dinner, its just that this chefs notion of what fancy is stuck in the 80s. Saddest and most disgraceful dining experience of my life. I am SURE the stories about the chef being abusive to his staff and diners are true. Stay away, the place is disgusting.
And a note about the food — the food is not original at all. There are a number of Japanese restaurants in New York that use similar, and often much more inventive, techniques. Shigure is one of my favorites. Just because he throws a spoonful of caviar on half the appetizers he is not creating culinary genius. In fact, substituting true originality with simply expensive ingredients is trashy. If you want a real inventive Brooklyn tasting experience, go to Bianca or Luksus.

Great food — very creative in putting different ingredients together and giving a very special taste. Travelled the world quite a bit, but this is really rare.
Restaurant a bit small so you have to squeeze. Jacket requirement in the summer at 90 degrees simply stupid and superficial, taking away focus from food.

giving it 5 stars because, if someone put a gun to my head and said take me to a great dinner or it’s curtains for you, i’d scream CHEF’S TABLE AT BROOKLYN FARE!!!
I went twice and it was amazing both times. it was even better when it was byob from an affordability standpoint. i hope people aren’t priced out now because it is a foodie experience that everyone should have at least once!

Wow, simply amazing. I had heard raving reviews of this restaurant and STILL they exceeded all my expectations.
My girlfriend had to call 105 times on a Monday to secure our spot. The restaurant is small and seats only a limited amount of patrons and the kitchen is open so you can see the chef’s diligently prepare each dish. Sorry no pictures or notes of the food so everything I’m writing is from memory.
Each and every dish was AMAZING. We started out with a small bite sized crispy cup topped with golden caviar. Light, delicious, perfect starter.
Second course was truffled uni on top of a small toasted bread square. WOW, I literally think my breath was taken away.
Toro delicately seared with a light soy. Literally melted in your mouth…
Crispy crunch, green whipped cream sauce with generous helping of caviar (not sure but I think it was ossetra)
Ramp leaves (season vegetable leaves that is available only for a month or so out of the year. Think light spinach/​Asian A tsai but more tender) with foie gras in a foam soup.
Eel bite and a grilled snapper in a delicate no idea but tastes great sauce.
THE vegetable dish that was so beautifully made that I didn’t want to eat it. It seriously was a visual masterpiece. 16 separately prepared vegetables that included peas, avocado, pickled cucumber, pearl potato, topped with flowers. I am not doing justice by describing this and I’m sure half my descriptions of the ingredients are off but hey, you get the idea.
Wagyu beef that was so simply made, garnished with fragrant salt, and also melted in your mouth.
Seared duck with fresh plum sauce. Note, you were given a special knife with a mother of pearl handle here. Beautiful.
Fresh citrus sorbet with wild tiny strawberries. This was served in a tiny glass goblet with gold accents.
Frozen grand marnier puff pastry. Melted upon touching your tongue.
Citrus small caviar and a macha melt cake served on a tiny tiered pastry stand.
This restaurant by far is the best restaurant meal I have had in NYC and it will be hard to find something as exceptional.

While the reservations were harder to get than Bruce Springsteen tickets (one hour, two phones), the effort was well spent. The 15-​course meal was a true culinary adventure. You are likely to learn and take notes during the presentation!

The start to the dining experience can be frustrating to most people. Calling nonstop to only get a busy signal for over an hour or so. We’ve been several times and only once did it take me 3 – 4 calls. The other times both my husband I called over 90+ times a piece to get the reservation, so you have to be dedicated to the progress to say the least. If you can get passed this, it’s definitely worth it.
Food: Is so good, at times it’s indescribable. Chef Cesar has an amazing formula. You are not allowed to take pics, which makes it hard for me to remember everything we had. The menu changes frequently. Our recent visits were this January and April, the menu was very different. A few things I remember are: Caviar dish that was amazing. Sea Urchin with truffle — no words, just pure bliss!.Foie Gras in broth was divine! Grilled veggies — was good but not amazing (everything can’t be a 10, so this was an 8). Lobster dish and fish dish, which were both great. Frozen chocolate soufflé — creative and delicious. Everything is really fresh and creatively prepared.
Wine list is what you would expect from a three star Michelin restaurant. Christine is there to help you narrow down your selection. She has an amazing memory! She actually remembered the wine we had in January when we dined at the restaurant in April. She is super personable and makes the dining experience that much more enjoyable.
Atmosphere/​Service: I really love the intimate seating and proximity to the kitchen. There are 16 – 18 seats around a massive stainless counter. Everything is super shining. The service is very attentive. You are seated really close to the other diners, so it’s nice to have people that are semi-​friendly during the dinner.
This is really one of my favorite fine dining experiences. I can’t wait until they move to the city. Hopefully, adopt a way to make a reservation that’s less time consuming.

I would love to write a review about the food at Brooklyn Fare, but unfortunately I did not get to experience it. After spending 45 minutes to make a reservation 6 weeks in advance of my husband’s birthday, we show up to the restaurant to be informed that they gave my reservation away. They claimed they would have contacted me several times by email and phone two weeks prior to confirm. I had no record of any phone or email communication from them. They are still investigating and apologized offering to permit me to skip the wait on hold the next time I made a reservation.
I don’t care how amazing your food is. If you want to charge $ 350 per person in Brooklyn and have the most complex and difficult reservation system in the tri-​state area you cannot pull something like this. Beyond unacceptable.

I kind of feel silly even reviewing this on Unilocal,this place has 3 Michelin stars, my 5 stars on Unilocal make that seem kind of insignificant. This was a religious food experience that forever changed the way I look at and feel about food. The attention to detail is more than I’ve seen some surgeons utilize. It is worth every single penny to experience this at least once before you die.

Short answer: What an experience!
Oh gosh, where to start?! I suppose the food, first: Cesar Ramirez (who was literally five feet away for half the meal) expertly crafts some of the most luscious, tongue-​tinglingly good bites. Each course (of which there are about 15) is far too short, but only because each bite leaves you desperate for more (that uni and truffle course…). But you don’t pay this much for just the food – you pay because the stainless steel décor and service make you believe that you’re in the hands of an all-​star cast and crew. You’ll see your chefs slaving over each morsel of food, spending 5 minutes making something that’ll go from plate to tummy in less than 5 seconds (specifically referring to the dessert course with about 50 tiny meringues topping a meyer tart). You’ll feel incredibly welcomed by the excellent servers, sommelier, and the maitre d’ in the middle of the table serving up food worthy of the highest praises. And again, the fact that you’re max 10 feet away from the action and can see all the sausage making makes it all that much more special.
If you’re interested in tasting at the top end of the business, Cesar’s table is hard to beat.

i absolutely LOVE this place. Chef Ramirez is such a wonderful chef! So kind and personable. I love the japanese, mexican and french influences in his food and the plating is just beautiful. The charcoal grilled tuna was so worth it on its own and surprising the vegetables! This is a must go every time hubby and I go to New York. The staff is the utmost best staff and always so friendly.

I finally made it here after trying all of its competition… and it was average.
I’ve gone to Le Bernardin, Momofoku Ko, and Eleven Madison Park in the last 2 months, and Semilla in the last year, along with a handful of plenty of other non-​Michelin tasting menus.
So the food and experiences are fresh in my memory… aka this fatty knows what he’s talking about.
This place starts off really shady. They require you to allow them to charge your credit card for the full meal 2 weeks before you go to the restaurant. BTW if you cancel, you don’t get a refund… SHADY
That’s $ 326 per person and includes tip… making it THE most expensive meal I’ve had so far.
Then after your meal you pay again for any drinks you had.
Brooklyn Fare does 14 courses which is on the higher side and portions slightly bigger than, say, Momofoku.
They also do the whole «Jacket required» thing like Le Bernardin which is definitely on the snobby side, but at least they have loaner jackets too.
Speaking of snobby, this place ONLY has a wine and saki menu.
No beer, no cocktails, no soda.
On the non-​alcoholic front they had 3 things, one being a $ 8 cider you only get a tiny pour of like a glass of wine (is this on sale next door at the Brooklyn Fare market??)
But seriously, Brooklyn Fare market boasts a massive beer selection no other places has, and this place couldn’t think to serve some? meh
Wine by the glasses STARTED a a whopping $ 15 each for a Riesling and the rest of them averaged at $ 20 – 25 a glass.
The layout kinda sucked, the location looks like an industrial kitchen with the bathroom/​coat check at the end of a tiny packed hallway filled with steel walls and what looks like meat lockers.
The place seats 18 people in a big circular «sushi bar» type of table, with everyone LITERALLY touching each other. The eating space was the size of a tiny apartment.
Beware if you’re claustrophobic.
The Service was nothing special so I’m really scratching my head at the previous reviews.
It was actually a bit messy.
There was only 1 server who stood on the inside of the tables, serving both food AND water. The 2^nd waitress walked around the outside only serving alcohol and setting silverware.
The main food waitress was also so busy, my glass of water was empty a bit too often.
So onto the food! Where does it rank?
The food was OK. All except one dish didn’t really dazzle me. The first few dishes were straight up sashimi, and the half of the desserts were a scoop of ice cream and sorbet.
I like to joke about keeping a tally of gimmicky shit chefs put into dishes at ALL of these high-​end places: truffles, grapefruit, caviar, Fois Gras, sea urchin
Lets just say this places checks almost all of them
The urchin was also really slimy and gross.
The main course was really the only one that showed innovation, and effort — the vegetable medley.
They take about 8 different small vegetables and prepare them all in different ways, in different sauces, then grill them, and plate each one with tweezers. It tasted amazing.
I was dissapointed that it was given 10 courses in and showcased the talents of the chef’s team, while every other dish seemed half-​assed in comparison.
Lets talk about dessert, their Frozen Soufflé. The most disappointing thing you will ever eat.
They present you with a massive soufflé that looks like a huge muffin… Massive in size… Your mouth is watering… You dig in. Wow it breaks apart just like a real cake… You take a piece and put it in your mouth… and it disappears into nothing!
Aha, this dish was designed to liquidate into nothing as soon as you put it into your mouth!
Worse then eating air.
I told them it was my birthday when I booked, when I confirmed and directly to the Chef. At the meal… nothing. A few other tables got tiny bowls with lit candles to celebrate — which was already kinda of lame — but the fact that I was not even acknowledged kinda sucked. Perhaps its because i LOOKED Asian? I mean I’ve heard this guy hates Asian people.
Google it.
So overall, this place was just OK.
On that note, if you were a chef that HATED Asian people, why the hell would you open a Japanese themed restaurant?
BTW. I noticed the corner seats closest to kitchen were BAD — next to the stoves where heat and smoke blasted out across the room, and just by «coincidence», the ASIAN couple was seated there.
I’m convinced
, Zagat, and Michelin are getting kickbacks from places they give top reviews to. Most of these places don’t deserve their rankings.
I read this place literally got its stars because the French Michelin director ate here and liked it. Ugh
I’d suggest the $ 85 on the tasting menu at Degustation in East Village for the SAME experience or just spend the same $ 600 on food there to buy the ENTIRE MENU
If you HAVE to spend $ 250+ for a Michelin menu, here’s my grades in order of best to worst:
Eleven Madison Park A
Brooklyn Fare C
Ko D+
Le Bernardin F
Semilla F

I admit I held off going here for a while but was swayed by the recent Eater review. A couple months back I went to Momofuku Ko and declared it the best restaurant in New York (for whatever it’s worth). Now that I’ve been to Chef’s Table, though, I think it might be too close to call.
This food at Chef’s Table is different from most high-​end New York restaurants, which tend to be very French-​influenced and assault you with super rich flavors. The obvious influence here is Japanese food, and much of the food reminds me a lot of what I’ve experienced at upscale kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo. The flavors are subtle and the preparations are minimal. Chef Ramirez is, like great chefs in the Japanese tradition, a master of composing and balancing dishes that emphasize the inherent quality of their ingredients, rather than engaging in technical wizardry (though he no doubt could if he wanted to).
Also, as with a great Japanese meal, there’s a lot of fish here. Of the dozen or so savory dishes I tasted, all but three were seafood. The exceptions were a gorgeously composed pickled vegetable and edible flower medley, a perfectly cooked cut of roast duck, and a thin slice of A5 Miyazaki wagyu ribeye that transcended mere mortal conceptions of just how good red meat can be. I think the highlight was the Japanese sea bass with shiso butter, whose skin was scalded with wood coals.
The service was phenomenal, though personally I found the wait staff to be a little too stiff and formal for a restaurant whose atmosphere was otherwise warm and inviting. Ramirez himself, though, was a pleasure to speak to as we did several times throughout the meal.
The wine pairing featured several great French wines, but it wasn’t quite as interesting as some other restaurants whose pairings dig deeper into world wines and other spirits (for a place with such Japanese influence in the food, you’d expect there to at least be sake).
So, to conclude, I think Chef’s Table has the best food in the city. The other aspects of the experience – service, alcohol, atmosphere – are good but not as remarkable. It will be interesting to see how things evolve when they move into their new Manhattan space later this year.

The food and service is beyond words. Well deserving of all the accolades it has received.
The dashi course with foie gras, truffle and king crab is sublime. Best thing I have ever eaten, but since you don’t know me from a hole in the ground, that may not mean much to you anyway.
Well paced and thought out menu, heavy on fish. Did the 4 glass pairing and each one was better than the previous.
An excellent experience all around.

It’s just amazing. That’s all. Amazing.
Do you like caviar? With the right amount of pretentiousness? And laid-​back-​ed-​ness? It’s a great set up for a perfect meal. Be prepared to sit back and enjoy. We were bad customers in that we shared one glass of wine (money with hand over his/​her eyes emoji). They were cool about it to our faces. Very professional… just the right amount of everything, even portions. We are big fans of tasting things. Not going crazy. Brooklyn Fare is great for this.

The best meal in quality, presentation and precision I’ve ever eaten. The fact that you are at the chefs table adds another level of enjoyment. Well worth the price point given the experience.
Chef Ramirez is extraordinary!

Quite an amazing experience. Each course is carefully designed and exquisitely executed.
Personally I think the master piece we had is the vegetable dish (mind you that this comes from a meat-​lover) — each vegetable retains its own unique delicious fresh taste and harmoniously interacts with others
Now, as a big wine head, I think the wine paring (I did a 4 glass tasting) is also very decent — it was quite generous pours, and they keep pouring even after you finish.
1) It starts with a Chablis (to go with fish and shell fish starters). The slightly oaky Chablis does its job, nothing complicated, but decent.
2) Château Simone, Palette AC, Provence. It’s a somewhat heavy white wine. Clairette/​Grenache Blanc grapes. This is a wonderful paring with the dishes (Mushroom broth chawanmushi, etc)
3) a Chateauneuf du Pape, nicely fitted with the meat dishes
4) Tokaj, amazing way to finish a meal with dessert.
The only downside comes with sitting in essentially a kitchen to dine is that you get smoky/​oily smell on your hair and jacket — This does not bother us that much.
Would come back again for sure.

Best meal of my life. Each and every single dish was executed to perfection. Staff was super friendly, and Chef Ramirez took time to chat and interact with all the patrons.
Can’t wait to check out their midtown location!

If I could give zero stars I would. Went here a few months ago and was excited to get the food. Went with gf and we were literally the only people the chef didn’t say hi to. Of course we were the only asians there. He walked by us at least half a dozen times to get something from the back and nothing. Sitting beside us was a couple from Mexico city and he spent the entire time talking to them. When he passed by us I said I enjoy the food and he completely ignored me. Food is good but not worth the racism.

My husband took me here for my 30^th birthday and it was absolutely AMAZING!!! We have dined at other Michelin award restaurants such as, Eleven Madison, Le Bernardin and Per Se but Chef’s Table hands down is the winner for us. EVERY single dish knocked it out of the park! It was the best meal that either one of us had in our life! It’s very obvious how passionate Chef Cesar is about his dishes when watching him and his staff prepare our 15 course meal. It was such a treat to interact with his staff! We cannot wait to go back despite the price because it was THAT good! Definitely make your way there!

Three Michelin-​starred, and rightfully so! Literally one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had in my 27 years of life haha :) And from what I can see, the controversy from 2014 was all fabricated-I’m Asian and I had a fantastic time! Chef Ramirez was also as hospitable as can be, chatting with us at times when he was free. My boyfriend surprised me here for our 2-​year anniversary, how’d I get so lucky? :)
A true chef’s table with only 18 seats around a U-​shaped counter with an open kitchen. There’s staggered seatings (I think this happens with both their 7pm and 10pm but I’m not 100% sure), the left side of the room starts around 7pm, and the right side of the room starts around 7:45pm. We got to sit in the two seats on the very left side, basically right next to the kitchen where you can see everything being made up close and personal!
There’s one main guy who serves you most of your dishes from this little trapped area between the kitchen and counter (occasionally Chef Ramirez will place a plate in front of you!) — Raymond was great the entire night, explaining the dishes and also occasionally exchanging some witty banter lol. For the first few plates, the decadent bites were quite large, but every time, he came by to tell us with a smile, «this is a ONE BITE…» I wish I could savor the food with more bites, but they really are packed with flavor if you eat everything all together!
Here’s how I remember the dishes:
Trout Roe Tartlet
Oh man… what a good start to the meal! They pack on as much trout roe as they can fit onto the tartlet, which is quite a lot for one bite! Umami attackkkk!
Hokkaido uni toast with black truffle
Uh, how could the meal get any better than this? Again, this toast is packed with pieces of fresh and plump uni and brushed over with a special sauce and topped with a piece of black truffle. ONE BITEEEEEEE. One can never have too much uni: D
Japanese snapper with crispy rice skin
So simple and elegant, just a thin piece of snapper with a whimsical crispy rice skin (imagine rice krispies but obviously much more refined and round). Such a good textural contrast between the tender snapper and crispy skin, a theme I see and thoroughly enjoyed throughout the meal!
Perch in shiso sauce
I wish Chef Ramirez sold this amazing shiso sauce in a jar… I would snatch up as many as I can. Perch was also made perfectly.
Kaluga caviar atop a dashi sabayon
This is the epitome of decadence. Chef Ramirez spoons on almost half a tin of caviar for each person! Below the dashi sabayon, there were these amazing crunchy bits (I asked and they told me these were deep fried potatoes, ammaazzingg), onions I think, and what tasted like smoked salmon. AHHHHH.
Poached lobster with rutabaga
I don’t usually even like lobster, but this was poached to perfection. The rutabaga on top cut the richness, which I liked.
Cod
All the fish were made amazingly well. This one was so tender you could probably cut it with a feather haha. I think this dish also had a miso paste on the bottom?
Mushroom broth chawanmushi with king crab, oyster, foie gras, truffle, mushrooms
Another stand-​out dish! My boyfriend wouldn’t stop raving about it after he took his first bite. I don’t know if this actually had any egg in it, but what replaced it was probably better, what we think was the foie gras! The oysters tasted amazingly fresh, even though it was in a hot broth.
Winter Vegetables
They took so much care making and plating this dish; With tweezers, they carefully placed each piece of veggie and edible flower and presented us a work of art. I would happily be a vegetarian if this was what vegetarian food tasted like everywhere :)
Miyazaki Wagyu Beef
I actually thought this was too fatty for my liking, maybe this was a piece towards the side? Def melted like butter though!
Squab and Tamago (made of brioche)
He got creative with the Tamago and created his version using brioche instead (didn’t taste like egg, so we asked him about it!).
Finger Lime Sorbet with Grapefruit Caviar
The grapefruit caviar gives a pop of flavor everytime you take a bite. So amazed.
Soba Ice Cream
Where else do they sell this?! If I had tubs of this at home, I’d probably gain a ton of weight since I’d eat a pint daily! The faint flavor of soba/​buckwheat was to die for! Not too sweet either.
White Chocolate Frozen Soufflee
Like eating a cloud!!! Disappears once you put itin your mouth. Ours had a dusting of matcha.
We also got wine pairings (4 glasses); these were all pretty great — 2 whites, 1 red, and 1 dessert wine. The glasses are bottomless throughout the duration of that specific pairing, so enjoy! Sommelier was super attentive.
At the end of our meal, they put a cute mini candle in front of us to congratulate us on our 2-​yr anniversary, how sweet :) If I were a billionaire, I would definitely be here weekly. But for now, once in a blue moon will do!
*Tip: No note-​taking, no pictures!!!
*Tip: Jackets required

Amazing. Spectacular, on par with Alinea in Chicago, EMP in NYC, Illhaeusern in Alsace, Robuchon in Paris or Tokyo.
With the intimate setting, this makes for an unforgettable experience.

I enjoyed the courses even though I don’t eat meat. Ingredients are super fresh! Enjoy watching them making food in front of you guys:)

One of the best meals I ever had in my life. 11 courses full of the finest ingredients. Chef Ramirez doesn’t skimp on the serving size either.
The atmosphere is as cozy as it is intimate. Any reservations about it being too posh or stuck up is quickly diffused by the charm and personality of the maître d who does a wonderful job in making you feel welcomed.
Not being allowed to take pictures is an unwritten rule, since the chef doesn’t want you to take away from the dining experience. However, we couldn’t help but go covert ops and still snap away. After all, a fantastic meal deserved such memories.
The one bite Salmon roe set the tone. We knew what was ahead of us would be amazing.
The Japanese snapper with toasted rice was a one bite wonder.
The uni and shaved truffle with toast was one of the best things we had all night.
The chawanmushi was amazing. King crab, foie gras, mushroom, truffle and oyster was mind blowing.
Caviar, caviar and caviar. Chef Ramirez was not shy when he scooped the delicious caviar onto the next dish.
The cod looked as good as it tasted. Flaky and delicate.
The winter vegetables was roasted to perfection. We saw these guys take 10 minutes just to layer each piece of vegetable.
A5 rated Miyazaki beef was melt in your mouth butter.
The squab was cooked perfectly. The tomago was a nice addition.
The least favorite of the night was more of a palette cleanser. Finger lime over pear sorbet.
The soufflé with a caramel cream was amazing. The frozen spoon added a memorable experience to the soufflé that just evaporated in your mouth.
So yes. Best meal I’ve had in my life.

One of the best tastings we’ve Been to in nyc, and we have been to the majority of them including Eleven Madison, Per se, Daniel, Le Bernardin, Jean-​Georges, Gramercy Tavern, All which are wonderful, but I think we’ve enjoyed Chef’s table at Brooklyn fare thus far the most. Every dish was delicious, although with every tasting we would get too full by middle of the meal. Yet, I would say it’s worth the experience. Only thing I didn’t like was, of course, not being able to take photos of the courses but I do understand that they are trying to keep the ambiance and respect to the other customers. I’m a visual person and like to look back and remember what I ate. Although I’m glad they did allow us to take photos of ourselves towards the end of the evening. Kinda sad we didn’t get a photo with the chef before he left. Anyhow, definitely recommend this tasting. Loved it!

I’m going to start with, finally, a 3 Michelin start restaurant that didn’t screw up the lobster course! Fresh Maine lobster cooked for three minutes served with this buttery sauce and a little crunchy vegetable.
Okay. That’s out of the way.
Home runs.
–You get to talk to the chef, more than once, he’s very gracious with his time.
–The ‘guy in the middle’ who I’ll call the head waiter was funny, and knowledgeable
–Sommelier nailed our champagne request
–Lobster, caviar, and meat courses were all home runs
–Frozen soufflé was epic
–The ambiance of the place makes this a must try event
–Service was what you’d expect from a prestigious event
My petty misses:
–Raw fish course was a little underwhelming
–No bread course (I like bread!)
–That’s it!
Now if you’re looking for a private meal to whisper sweet nothings to your sweetie this isn’t the place. But if you want a magical culinary experience, give this a try.

Don’t know what the Asian problem they had on press because Cesar was mainly talking to us (two Chinese girls with regular jobs) and he was just so friendly, informative and genuine!
We were thrilled by all the love and attention topped with truffles, kimedai, caviar, wagu beef and Maine lobsters, in every bite we had. But the frozen chocolate soufflé was the star!!! Incomparable to anything we ever had! I want to have it everyday!
The food was Japanese and French inspired. And Cesar’s team do the best of the best food ever!

The white truffle ice cream (served with a generous shaving of white truffle, obvs) nearly made me weep. And it was almost enough for me to consider a life of crime because I was totally ready to jack the entire batch for my greedy self.
However, after some contemplation, I have instead decided to dedicate my life to the worthwhile and philanthropic cause of seducing Donald Trump so I might persuade him to buy me a lifetime’s supply of white truffle ice cream. Oh yeah and to withdraw his candidacy for President. Obvs.

SO MANY COURSES!
I wanted to take photos to document the meal, but was told I was not allowed to! This did not stop me from sneaking a few pictures.
The courses, as best I can remember (I am sure I forgot a few, and they are out of order):
— Started with trout roe on a cracker. Very good.
— Uni with black truffle. My first time having uni. Tastes like a sponge filled with chlorine. Not to my taste but my dining companions liked it.
— Osetra caviar with sturgeon foam. OBSCENE!!! So delicious. And I felt like a big baller eating it.
— Lobster with butter. Also delicious.
— Some kind of fish with risotto. Fell super flat.
— Foie gras in a soup. Also fell flat.
— Pickled vegetables in a miso sauce. Wonderful flavors and textures.
— Wagyu beef with a heart of palm and a bit of radish. The wagyu was delicious of course, but I’ve had better wagyu before.
— Duck breast with huckleberries. Loved it. So tender and fatty with a crispy skin.
— Some kind of ice cream… I forget what. But it tasted like a green juice (kale, lemon, celery, apple, ginger) in ice cream form. I loved it.
— Passion fruit ice cream. WOW! This is what god’s p***y tastes like. So sweet and tangy and creamy.
— Frozen chocolate soufflé. Also wonderful. Delicate airy texture. Milk chocolate flavor, with a yogurt-​like tang and some vanilla too.
— Mini financier and chocolate hazelnut truffles. Delicious too.
The pacing of the meal was not ideal. There was a 30 minute gap between the fish and meat courses.
The layout of the restaurant is such that everyone is seated around a table. Who you are seated next to can VASTLY INFLUENCE your dining experience. The dude sitting next to me was incredibly obnoxious. He made dumb comments to the man serving and presenting the food, telling him that he had «no job security». He was super loud and would not shut up. Someone kept peeing on the toilet seat in the bathroom. I bet it was him.
The highlights were the Osetra caviar, duck breast, and the desserts. Good? Yes. Overrated? Yes.

If I could give this place all the stars in the world I would. This dining establishment puts all other «fine dining» restaurants to shame. If you go to Per Se or Le Bernadin what is the likelihood that Thomas Keller or Eric Ripert is back there plating the food?! Now imagine you are having dinner with the genius himself in front you actually creating the masterpieces?! All this and more happens at Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare.
It’s starts off with a call. Actually in my case 212 to be exact to get two of the eighteen seats on a Wednesday night. The day finally arrives. We come a few minutes early and sit on the bench a few feet down from the restaurant when we notice someone gesturing to us to come in, it’s Cesar Ramirez himself. He greets us with a warm smile and a firm handshake. We’re seated in the first two seats nearest to him. He is literally serving each dish and on occasion chatting with us about food, life and travel. He couldn’t have been more genuine or kind. Not at all did I once feel discriminated against. (And let me just add that I looked at the dishes of the Caucasian women next to me, her pieces were just as equal to mine).
The FOOD. Oh my Lord in heaven… what words can be used to describe such decadence?! Such flavor?! Such innovation?! I don’t know how to describe each dish but only to say it was sheer perfection. There is no menu and no photos allowed so the only memories I have are the ones ingrained in my head. All the dishes were spectacular. It was a progression that simply got better and better. I remember the uni with truffle on brioche. The cod which was roasted to perfection. And the most generous portion of caviar EVER!
This was the single most incredible dining experience I will ever have. It was worth every penny.

No photo is allowed, and you will have to wear jacket to enter this place, however this is still the best dinner I have ever had on this planet, no exaggeration at all.
My favorite dishes, among its great selection of tasting, were the uni and lobster. The secret sauce on top of uni probably served the purpose of marinating flavor. Their beef, on the other hand, was also a signature dish, as the meat was cooked medium rare and was soft enough to flow in your mouth. As a dessert follower, I would also strongly recommend their sorbet with strawberry and cake that was able to melt itself in your mouth. It was really a difficult task to pick my most favorite dish.
I do not know others’ experience, but I was calling more than 100 times just to secure my table. In this particular case, having an Amex card on hand was probably a great idea as they could assist in making reservations. However I would emphasize that having dinner here was not only about eating great food, but also about having an experience in fine dinning that’s gonna permanently change your way of judgment.
It was a three Michelin star by the way, I foresee it very difficult, if even feasible, to surpass!

Absolutely spectacular.
My wife took me here for our anniversary and it ranks among the best meals either of us have ever had. There wasn’t the quantity of the tasting menu at Per Se, which was the closest comparison for me, but we felt the quality overall was higher. Many others have gone into better detail than I could, but this is a meal I’m eager to repeat.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have tried several other Michelin 3 star restaurants, and this is by far the best I’ve tried so far.
Every course was perfect. Excellent textures, unique flavors, and good wine pairing (I generally do not care for Rieslings but the one they served was a great pairing and not insulting sweet).
It’s actually very entertaining with all action in front of you and in such a small intimate setting. Worth the money, bucket list place!!!
Snuck in a couple pics… please don’t black list me ;-)

This has been a long time coming.
My wife and I live close enough that Brooklyn Fare is our local grocery store. I’ve literally been in the adjacent space hundreds and hundreds of times, but the Chef’s Table was always a bit out of reach.
The folks we sat next to mentioned that this was their ninth visit to the only Brooklyn restaurant to receive Michelin’s highest honor; while I continue to hope that we’ll one day magically find ourselves in their tax bracket, in the real world, for people like us, this extravagant meal can only be attempted on a special occasion. Hell, the bottle of wine we got (which was on the very, very low end of their impressive list) cost us as much as dinner would at most of our regular spots.
But recently the stars aligned. My wife was celebrating an important birthday,* and we were able to score a reservation. So we went.
Please keep in mind that Chef Ramirez doesn’t allow photography or note-​taking. Although I’m of the opinion that for this amount of money I should be allowed to rub the sous chef’s head for good luck if that’s what I want to do, I am nothing if not obedient. I do think my quick, non-​flash photography would be far less intrusive than the loud, crapulent (what an amazing word) ladies across the way… but I’m hanging out in my glass house over here so I’ll keep my mouth shut. In any case, you’re stuck with my incomplete, wine-​addled memory. But what I do remember was remarkable.
For starters, the service was perfection. Both the cooks and the servers move like in concert like well-​oiled machines, with very few wasted motions. They cook, and plate, and garnish, and serve, and clear, all with a practiced efficiency that adds up to fairly perfect pacing. The rubber doilies that are placed between each soiled dish are emblematic of the service as a whole; everything is intelligently conceived to ensure that we, the diners, have the best possible experience. You never hear the clank of a plate. And the plates themselves! In one presentation, powerful magnets keep a small bowl of caviar upright on an angled stand. A bite of mackerel was served atop a porcelain pedestal. The stemware is the finest you’ll ever use, and it all almost makes you feel like the money you spent is on display.
Of course, the food. The food. With over twenty, I can’t recall each individual course. I happily lost count as I enjoyed the sheer variety and quality of the bites, and of course, the company of my middle-​aged wife.** But nearly all were memorable.
The foie gras served in a dashi with ramp custard rivaled the sea urchin accompanied by a generous slice of black truffle for the best bite of the evening… but there were many that were not far behind. The black cod was buttery, the turbot elegant, the sea perch shockingly tender. The gorgeous duck was a revelation with morels and an onion cream, and the wagyu was actual wagyu (not the gristley bits your Murray Hill Applebee’s clone passes off in their sliders)…it melted into unctuous joy inside my mouth, with the barest modicum of chewing.
Never a sweet tooth, I was nevertheless amazed by each and every dessert course. We started with a perfectly palate cleansing shiso sorbet, followed by an exceptional yogurt, rhubarb, and sake geleé. I don’t understand the green tea with milk chocolate concoction that melted away like cotton candy as soon as you put it in your mouth, but I liked it. The meyer lemon cookie was as good as cookies can be, and the last bite, a gooey soy caramel that burst forth through the thinnest layer of chocolate, it could’ve been the best of them all.
Was it a perfect meal? No. Some combinations were not as successful as others. The lobster was underdone for my liking, and the abalone moved past forgettable into unappetizing. But the overall effect was magnificent.
Is it worth it for you to dine here? I can’t answer that for you. It’s a lot of money, and that cash could translate into six or seven meals at quality restaurants or, you know, rent. But I’m certainly happy I went. I think you will be too.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
*Doesn’t she look good for 50?
**Don’t kill me lady, I’m just kidding.

Chef’s Table is a newly minted 3 Michelin Stars restaurant in Brooklyn and I had the opportunity to dine here back in April 2015. They were the last 3 star Michelin rated restaurant on my New York 3 Michelin Stars tour. I was lucky enough to score reservations and eaten at all of the 3 star Michelin restaurants in a 3 day time span. Yes, I know what you’re thinking and I fully admit I’m a fat a$$.
Firstly, don’t complain about the price of the meal. You know what you’re getting into when you make the reservation. It’s no secret how much a Michelin rated restaurant cost and you are well informed. People dining at a Michelin rated restaurant and complaining about the price is stupidity at its finest. That’s like jumping in front of a big rig 16 wheeler going 80 mph and asking why you’re in the hospital. If you have issues with the price, you should stay home or stick to the Bib Gourmand section of the Michelin guide. However, stupidity doesn’t have its limits.
Chef’s Table is a very intimate setting with no more than 16 seats around the table. Cesar Ramirez mans the kitchen with the help of his kitchen crew of 4 while the main waiter handles all the guests. Chef Ramirez is probably the most humble Chef I’ve encountered.
In addition, you could tell he is still a little overwhelmed by his stardom. He’s a really nice guy with a self-​depreciating sense of humor. He made a joke about his looks when we asked for a picture with him. I encountered nothing but world class service here.
Now, the food. It’s a seafood based menu from raw to cook courses. There were no pictures allowed like Masa. I get why some restaurants don’t allow pictures especially ones that serve seafood. The food is made to be eaten right away versus a steakhouse where you let the steak rest. Every high end sushi restaurant tells you to each the dish right away to preserve the flavor and essence of the dish.
To be honest, I enjoyed everything on the menu. Each course was well prepared and evaporated in my mouth. The flavors of the dish were all over the place. Some of the dishes were mild, sweet, and subtle. The texture of the dishes were all delicate with some of it being flaky. It was quite a dining journey and experience. Chef Ramirez threw a curve ball at the end of the savory portion of the meal with a duck course. The duck was full of flavor, juicy, moist and tender. It was sweet and wasn’t overcooked.
Overall, I would have to say Chef’s Table was my favorite dining experience of all the Michelin 3 star restaurants in New York. It was a very intimate setting and everything on the menu was amazing.
US 2015 Michelin 3 Stars Count: 8 down. 4 more.
2015 Michelin Rated Restaurant Count: 9
San Pellegrino 2014 World’s 100 Best Restaurants Count: 5
San Pellegrino 2015 World’s 100 Best Restaurants Count: 5

Comment avoir 3* au Michelin et manger dans la cuisine d’un quartier populaire de Brooklyn, pas de voiturier, pas de nappe blanche…
Well, il faut Mozart au piano !
Les règles sont reinventées a l’americaine (ca risqué de choquer les ames conventionnelles et integristes)
Une cuisine fusion Japon & France: Le Caviar fume au bois de pommier, une soupe japonaisse au foie gras, le sorbet d’un fruit japonais que je né connaisais pas.
Parmi nos references, Caesar Ramirez est au niveau de Yannick Aleno du Meurice ou de Michel Bras a Laguiole
En plus il est tres sympa et né se prend pas (encore) (trop) au serieux…
Prix tres raisonnable pour ce niveau de talent!!!
To be listed in your «must do list» in your lifetime

As good as it gets :)
22 courses and not a single one failed to amaze me! Cesar is very nice and easy to talk with too. Every bite was so delicious.